Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Lulu doesnt know what Najib meant when he said "Malaysia is an Islamic nation with its own interpretation".Maybe he intentionally left it that way so that the mullahs and those on the opposite end like Lulu would interpret it in their own interpretation.

if you have a copy of today's Sun, you would have read the reactions, and agree with Lulu that everyone has come up with different versions on their interpretation of the statementelse check it out online at http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=18609

for exampleMCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong LaiNajib's statement that Malaysia is an Islamic should not be taken literally but in a general sense that it is an Islamic country, where the majority of the population is Muslim.

Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan"Malaysia is a secular state, not an Islamic state. The law is clear about this whereby the supreme court in a 1998 case decided by Lord President Tun Salleh Abbas stated clearly: we are a secular state and the civil court administers secular law."Certainly, Islam receives special treatment in the Federal Constitution but that does not mean Malaysia is an Islamic state."It does not follow from the provision in Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution that we are an Islamic state in the legal term.

International Islamic University Malaysia lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari:"Malaysia is not a secular state because Islam has been put as the "religion of the Federation" by Article 3(1)."But, it is acceptable to say Malaysia is "an Islamic nation with its own interpretation." Given the sensitivities and ignorance of both Muslims and non-Muslims, such is understandable.

Universiti Teknologi Mara lecturer Prof Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi:"Malaysia is never secular but at the same time, it is not an Islamic state. We are neither here nor there."But we have never emphasised on ideological purity. We are not a theocratic state.The constitution is the supreme law of the nation. So, it does not permit a conclusion that we are a full-fledged Islamic state.

Opposition Leader and DAP member of Parliament for Ipoh Timur Lim Kit SiangNajib's statement is a unilateral, arbitrary and unconstitutional revision of the fundamental principles of nation-building agreed by the forefathers of the major communities on the founding of the nation.It is agreed that while Islam is the official religion of the federation, Malaya and later Malaysia is not an Islamic state, whether of the PAS or Umno varietyYou see how mixed up the interpretations are?

anyway, if you're wondering whats the issue with being an Islamic state, Lulu's going to give you 2 links to check out.The first one found here is an article by Azmi Sharom, Associate Professor in the Law Fac, UM and a cool dude. The article has some thoughts on what it means to be a theocracy

But before we get into that, let’s have some definitions. A democracy is a system of government where we the people elect our representatives. They in turn govern the country, making laws and so forth.Ultimately, power lies with the people. We put them in positions of power and if we don’t like our leaders and the laws they make, we can simply vote them out.A democracy is also a system where certain freedoms are guaranteed, such as free speech and the freedom of association – all necessary components for a democracy to work properly in the first place.A theocracy, on the other hand, is not governed by elected officials but by a religious head of state or a religious group. Unlike in a democracy, ordinary people have no say in the laws that are made.This is because since the laws used in a theocracy are divine, only those with the necessary credentials can make any sort of decision regarding them.The country we live in now is a secular constitutional democracy. The supreme law is a secular document – the Federal Constitution. The supreme law of the country is not the Torah, not the Bible, not the Quran, not the Vedas.

Najib is morally damaged by the questions surrounding the murder of Altantuya. The whole system has tried its best to ensure that he is kept off limits from any of the court proceedings, but there's plenty of stuff flying around in kedai kopis.

MCA Youth chief needs to do his homework as his response (statement) is both disappointing and vague. It is not comforting by merely telling us that the DPM's words should not be taken literally and because that the majority of the population is predominantly Malays. The latter does not justify that the majority malay automatically makes our nation an islamic state. What happen to the historical records and our national constitution. Liow should get a copy of those documents and frame it to hang inside his house, as constant reminders that Malaysia IS NOT an Islamic nation or state!!